Tag: meal planning

The Meal Planning App That Will Replace Your Takeout Addiction

So you’re not hallucinating and this certainly isn’t an April Fool’s joke. I’m officially over the worst of my seasonal Winter blues, out of hibernation, and super excited to share my latest obsession with you! Let’s just get right to it, shall we?! Mealime is changing the game for me right now, and I just have to let you in on the secret.

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect solution for my meal planning woes. To be honest, I’d rather have a personal chef that just magically knows what I want to eat, does all the grocery shopping, organizes my pantry and fridge, prepares my dinner, packs the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch (so I’m wasting virtually no food), tells me the nutritional facts of every meal, and of course does all of this for free.

Until now, the closest I’ve come to this dream is my short-lived love of meal kit services. Companies like Blue Apron take most of the guess work out of meal planning. Fresh ingredients, portioned out, and delivered directly to your door, all with easy to follow recipes. What’s not to love? The price, y’all. The price. There’s no denying that meal kits are a great solution for busy, indecisive folks like myself, but the price makes them totally unjustifiable for my wallet… and I still have to cook?!  Sigh. *immediately opens Seamless app to get takeout* There’s gotta be a better way, right?

Meal Planning Made Simple

Enter Mealime! Mealime is a free (yes, free) meal planning app that makes meal planning easy, efficient, and dare I say, fun. All you have to do is:

  • create a profile
  • specify any dietary restrictions/food allergies (vegetarian or nah?, peanuts or life?)
  • scratch off ingredients you don’t like (I’m looking at you, eggplant)
  • choose some meals from an automatically generated list of delicious meals
  • import that grocery list to Instacart or Amazon Fresh.

Of course you still have to cook, but meal planning seriously does not get any easier. Ready to change your life? Download it for android or ios. And for the commitment-phobic, test out the entire Mealime process with this recipe (my new favorite)… And for the gravely commitment-phobic, just check out the pics below!

You're not locked into a set number of meals — you can choose as many or as few as you want.

 

Try This— 3 Ingredient Creamy Avocado Dip

This creamy avocado dip is just 3 ingredients!

You can add an avocado or two to pretty much anything and it’s delicious. I have tested this theory in dozens of recipes, both sweet and savory, and I have yet to be disappointed. Still my greatest avocado triumphs have come in the form of 3-ingredient-or-less recipes. So as I’m preparing my Memorial Day menu, I’ve been fooling around with some simple, yet highly satisfying avocado recipes.  My absolute favorite is this creamy avocado dip from the Kitchn perfect for entertaining. Use it to dip chips, veggies, crackers, or as a condiment on your homemade grilled veggie burgers. It’s a crowd pleaser, y’all, I promise. You must try this!

3 Ingredient Creamy Avocado Dip

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6
  • 2 medium ripe avocados
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  • Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit.
  • Spoon the flesh of the avocados into the bowl of food processor or blender.
  • Add the goat cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
  • Blend until smooth and creamy, 30 to 40 seconds.

Try This—Homemade Oatmeal Almond Power Bars

These power bars are packed with protein, healthy fats, and carbs giving you a much needed post workout boost, or midday snack. I’ve spent a small fortune on those Kind bars and Quest bars until I finally figured out that I could make these snacks at home with very little effort. Best part: I actually know what’s in them. No guess work, just a simple healthy snack that tastes great and stays fresh in the fridge and the freezer! Winning! You must try this!

Homemade Oatmeal Almond Power Bars

ingredients (makes about 12 bars)

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 5 medjool dates
  • ½ cup cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp. boiling water

Directions

  • Place almonds and oats in food processor (I use my trusty Nutribullet) and blend until you have a coarse crumb.
  • Add cacao powder, cranberries, and dates and blend again.
  • Begin adding the boiling water, a little at a time and continue blending, until the mixture becomes well incorporated and forms a ball.
  • Press the dough into a baking tin lined with wax or parchment paper and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours before slicing into bars.
  • For grab and go storage, wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.

***Because all of the ingredients have a super long shelf life, you can store them on the counter top for several days, in the fridge for several weeks, and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Trust me when I say you’ll eat them all long before you run into any shelf life issues.

***Each bar contains about 200 calories.

Customize It!

This recipe is delicious, but there are so many ways to customize these energy bars. Check out this neat infographic to get you started!

Refuel, Repair, Rehydrate: Post-Workout Eats For Each Exercise

Confession: I didn’t really like working out much… that is until I got my hands on some sports bras that actually got the twins under control. Now I’m really digging my workouts… that is until I’m post-workout hangry and reaching for the most convenient, yet least satisfying crap I can find. I’ll spare you the long backstory and just get to the plant-based protein of the matter. You gotta eat after you workout. More than that, you gotta eat the right stuff in order to refuel, repair, and rehydrate.

Refuel

  • Refuel your glycogen (carbohydrate) stores to avoid muscle tissue breakdown and low energy.
  • Lack of glucose to fuel the brain can lead to decreased alertness and concentration, and low mood.
  • Aim for high quality carbohydrates sources (think wholegrain breads and cereals).

Repair

  • Repair damaged muscles with protein.
  • Consuming protein post-workout will provide amino acids for the building and repair of muscle tissue. This will help you to recover more quickly.
  • Aim for lean protein sources (think eggs, nuts, legumes, tofu and dairy).

Rehydrate

Post-Workout Foods

Here’s a breakdown of what you should be eating after your workout according to your preferred exercise.

Cardio

Cardio includes running, spin class, and any endurance training. It’s important to replenish your carbohydrate stores after any cardio routine. Think foods that are high in quality carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

  • Whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana slices
  • a banana and a handful of nuts
  • 1-2 slices of whole grain toast with either ricotta and fruit or cottage cheese and tomato (try this delicious recipe)

Yoga and Pilates

It’s important to repair tired muscles after any yoga or pilates routine. Protein and low GI carbs are key here. Think foods like tofu, hard boiled eggs, roasted vegetables, or trail mix.

  • Yogurt and muesli that contains fruit and nuts
  • chopped veggies and hummus
  • two hard boiled eggs with a slice of multigrain toast

Resistance, Strength Training, Crossfit

These are the most intense workouts of the bunch. Nutrient dense foods are essential. Think foods that are high in protein and other nutrients, but low in fat (especially if muscle gain is your goal). Smoothies are an excellent choice, but if you need something more think eggs, oats, yogurt, and pineapple. Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that may help reduce inflammation brought on by exercise.

  • omelet with red or green bell peppers and spinach
  • fruit salad (remember to include pineapple!)
  • overnight oats- simply combine oats, yogurt or non dairy milk, mashed banana and chia seeds and place in the fridge overnight. It’ll be ready for tomorrow’s workout

Source: HuffPost

Try This— The Easiest Homemade Vegetarian Ramen Recipe

I pretty much lived on ramen when I was in college. Back then my four basic food groups were salt, junk, cheap, and easy. Such is the gut fortitude of a nineteen year old. Times have certainly changed, and though my taste and my junk food cravings haven’t, at least now I’m old enough to try and make healthier choices. I want to keep my ramen classy, y’all. No more undergrad ramen for me! I mix up my own seasoning and keep it on the shelf, ready for those nights when I’m feeling just as sleepy as I did when I was in college. You can’t get much easier than a basic ramen bowl, and with some simple add-ins, you’ll be well on your way to total ramen sophistication. You must try this!!!

Homemade Ramen Seasoning

ingredients

  • 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 vegetable bullion cubes
  • 1 tbsp black pepper

directions

  • crush bullion cubes into a powder
  • mix all ingredients, including bullion, together
  • store in an airtight container

Basic Ramen bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 oz vermicelli rice noodles (If you use this kind that’s about one quarter of the box)
  • 1 c of boiling water
  • 1 tbsp homemade ramen seasoning (you might want to start with less and add more to taste)

Directions

  • place rice noodles in a small bowl
  • sprinkle with homemade ramen seasoning
  • add boiling water and allow the rice noodles to sit for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally to separate the noodles
  • Enjoy!

optional add-ins

  • chili oil or (homemade) sriracha, to taste
  • a splash of lemon or lime juice
  • a boiled egg or two
  • lightly fried tofu
  • kimchi
  • quick cooking vegetables: spinach, thinly slice cabbage, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, bean sprouts, or green onions are all good choices
  • frozen vegetables: corn and peas are my favorite! Just be sure to thaw them a bit in warm water before adding them to your ramen bowl

This recipe makes the perfect mason jar lunch. just like these healthy mason jar snack ideas, mason jar ramen is ready in minutes. The dry ingredients have a long shelf life, so you can assemble a few dry noodles/seasoning mason jars well ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat them, just lift one from the pantry and add boiling water. Lunch in 3-5 minutes with no effort! Think of it as a savory alternative to your favorite mason jar oatmeal recipe.

Recipe adapted from: Connoisseurusveg and Minimalist Baker